Deck 2: The Economy and the Environment

Question 1

The study of nature in its role as a provider of raw materials is called ________.

A)natural resource economics
B)natural economics
C)environmental economics
D)all of the choices are correct

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Although often used interchangeably, _______ broadly describes residuals that are placed in the environment and __________ is typically used to describe residuals placed in water.

A)pollutant ; effluent
B)effluent; emissions
C)emissions; effluent
D)pollutant; emission

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Estimating damages from cumulative pollutants is complicated because

A)there is a lack of cause and effect associated with the current emissions and total damages.
B)the intertemporal dimension makes it more difficult to get people to focus on the damages associated with today's emissions.
C)people typically discount the effects of future damage.
D)all of the above

Answer 3

D

Question 4

For a given amount of residuals, when we reduce the amount that is emitted into one environmental media, ___________________.

A)the ambient quality of all surrounding media increases.
B)the amounts going into other media must increase.
C)production of goods and services must decrease.
D)it is impossible to specifically state what happens to other environmental media.

Question 5

The residuals from production can be reduced by ________.

A)shifting the composition of output towards low-residual items
B)preventing pollution by reducing the energy inputs required to produce each unit of output
C)reducing the residuals intensity of production
D)all of the choices are correct

Question 6

___________ refers to the quantity of pollutants in the environment

A)Source
B)Effluent
C)(R^r_p + R^r_c)
D)Ambient quality

Question 7

Continued extraction of a non-renewable resource can be sustainable over time if managed properly.

A)false; all non-renewable resources have a 5 year limit for extraction
B)true; by definition non-renewable resources will never deplete
C)true; with continued increases in technology non-renewable resources can last indefinitely
D)false; non-renewable resources will eventually deplete

Question 8

According to the fundamental balance equation, how can M, raw materials and energy extracted from the environment, be reduced?

A)Reduce G, the amount of goods produced
B)Reduce R_p, residuals from producers
C)Reduce (R^r_p + R^r_c), recyclables from both consumers and producers
D)All of the above are a method of reducing M

Question 9

In the figure above, (a) represents ____________.

A)the extraction of resources from nature
B)natural resource economics
C)the consumption of goods and services
D)the role of government

Question 10

________ economics is an example of a subdivision of natural resource economics.

A)Agricultural
B)Energy
C)Mineral
D)all of the choices are correct

Question 11

A classic example of a non-cumulative pollutant is

A)loud music
B)acid rain
C)methane gas
D)soylent green

Question 12

____________ is an environmental media.

A)Water
B)Land
C)Air
D)all of the above

Question 13

An accidental oil spill is an example of a(n) ________ emission while municipal treated waste is an example of a(n) ________ emission.

A)continuous; episodic
B)global; local
C)point source; nonpoint source
D)episodic; continuous

Question 14

_____________ is the common term for negative impacts produced by environmental pollution on people in the form of health effects and visual degradation as well as negative impacts on the ecosystem.

A)Disruption
B)Damages
C)Effluent
D)Emissions

Question 15

A living resource can be non-renewable.

A)false; all living resources are renewable
B)true; if the living resource is rare
C)true; if the rate of harvest exceed the growth rate of the resource's stock
D)false; only non-living resources are non-renewable

Question 16

In the figure above, the curve in (a) represents ____________.

A)a production possibilities curve
B)a trade-off between the production of market goods and environmental quality
C)combinations of outcomes given a fixed endowment and technology
D)all of the above

Question 17

When emissions are mixed and not flowing from a single source, the problem of enforcement to maintain ambient quality is ______________.

A)impossible
B)straightforward
C)much more complex
D)all of the above

Question 18

When a new production technology is invented that results in production of smaller amounts of residuals per unit of output produced, this is called reducing the ________.

A)damages from production
B)intensity of pollution
C)residuals from production
D)residuals intensity of production

Question 19

In the figure above, (b) represents

A)intertemporal linkage between production decisions today and production ability tomorrow
B)a change in technology allowing for increased production
C)the inevitable consequences of air pollution
D)the role of government

Question 20

Although the dividing line between the two is blurring generally speaking, _______ is concerned with resource extraction and __________ is concerned with environmental degradation.

A)production economics; consumption economics
B)environmental economics, natural resource economics
C)natural resource economics; environmental economics
D)consumption economics; production economics

Question 21

The policy challenge for continuous emissions is to manage ___________.

A)the probability of accidental discharges
B)people who frequently cause accidents
C)the rate of the discharges
D)the likelihood that continuous discharges are damaging

Question 22

An example of environmental damage that is not related to emissions is ___________.

A)strip mining
B)logging
C)the conversion of land to housing
D)all of the above

Question 23

Point-source pollutants

A)are known for causing greater environmental damages.
B)typically have international damage components
C)have a well defined point of discharge.
D)are typically more difficult to trace to the source of pollution.

Question 24

The policy challenge for episodic emissions is to manage ____________.

A)the probability of accidental discharges
B)the likelihood that continuous discharges are damaging
C)people who frequently cause accidents
D)air pollution in developing nations

Question 25

It is more difficult to develop and administer control policies for _________ than it is for _____________.

A)local pollutants; regional and global pollutants
B)air pollution; water pollution
C)point source pollutants, non-point source pollutants
D)non-point source pollutants; point source pollutants